Grieving Process
by BrutusXEnobaria
Summary: grieve - v. to mourn or sorrow for BrutusXEnobaria


**GRIEVING PROCESS**

Enobaria didn't know what on Earth was going on. All she knew was that she was being held in a cell in the Capitol and that Brutus was nowhere to be seen. Her cell was next to Peeta Mellark and Johanna Mason, who would provide her company for the long time she would be there.

"Jo, what's going on?" she asked.

"We're being held as prisoners in the Capitol," replied Johanna.

Enobaria groaned. "No kidding. I mean _why_ are we here?"

Johanna sighed and sat up straighter from her slouching position on the wall. "I'm going to explain this to you, so listen and pay attention. Haymitch and Plutarch made a plan to get Katniss out of the arena after the Quell was announced. Districts three, four, six, and seven were in a secret plan to keep Katniss alive and let Peeta tag along. It was Beetee's job to blow up the force field, but looks like the Mockingjay gladly did it herself."

"And how did we end up here?" asked Enobaria, not being able to put together the pieces of the complex puzzle.

"Because," explained Johanna. "The hovercraft couldn't take us all, only Finnick and Katniss. They kept us because they need information about the rebellion."

"That's not fair, I don't even know anything about the rebellion," muttered Enobaria. She glanced and saw that Peeta was listening to their entire conversation since the beginning. "Where's Brutus?"

Johanna shifted uncomfortably as Peeta sighed and prepared himself to tell her the truth. "I killed him after he killed Chaff."

"You what?" asked Enobaria in disbelief. This couldn't be happening, she thought. This wasn't happening.

"I said I killed him," repeated Peeta, no sympathy in his words. Obviously, he didn't know about their love for each other.

Enobaria didn't believe it. She didn't_ want _to believe it. She told herself that if she just fell asleep, she would wake up in her house, engulfed in Brutus's strong and protective arms, as if the Quell never happened. Like normal. They were going to get married after the games, but now that will never happen.

Because he is dead, no longer with her. She wants to be dead, too. She no longer wants to live if she has no one to live for, if she no longer has Brutus with her.

"Enobaria –" began Johanna, trying to comfort her in any way possible.

But Enobaria refused to accept her help or kindness. She never let anyone help her, except for Brutus. He was the only one whom she opened up to, showed different sides of her, trusted, loved, cared for. She was a warrior, but warriors break sometimes and they need someone to help them get back on their feet.

Brutus did all of that for her, even more.

She stood up from the floor and lied down on her small, uncomfortable bed, silently crying. Even though she tried to sound as quite as possible, she let a few sobs choke out.

"What's wrong with her?" she heard Peeta ask Johanna in a not so subtle way.

"What? Like you didn't notice the ring on her finger?" she asked Peeta as if he were stupid and heartless at the moment. "They were going to get married after the games. You and Katniss weren't the only star-crossed lovers in the arena. You know that?"

The conversation between the two continued but Enobaria blocked them out completely as she longed to be with Brutus once more.

XXX

Many times the Capitol people tried to torture her, break her even, just to get a bit of information out of her. Worst part was, she wasn't in on any of it and she barely knew anything about the rebellion or the rebels. All she knew was that she was being held prisoner and Brutus was no longer with her.

She went numb a few days after Peeta told her Brutus was dead. The torture and pain they caused her was nothing compared to the pain she felt being without Brutus. She felt nothing.

Nothing at all.

XXX

When the rebels left her behind, she wasn't surprised. She knew Katniss didn't care about her one bit and that she would leave her there to rot in her cell. Truth be told, she didn't care at all if she died in her cell at any moment. She knew that if she lived she would be miserable and lonely.

If she died, she would be with Brutus once more.

XXX

When the votes were in, Enobaria voted yes. She said, "Let them have a taste of their own medicine." She voted yes for Brutus. She wanted the Capitol to pay for all the pain and suffering they have caused them both.

Enobaria was certain that if she voted yes, she would be able to avenge Brutus's death.

XXX

A few weeks after returning to her lonely house, Enobaria received a visit from Peeta Mellark. _Strange_, she thought. He came in a black tux and a flower on his upper chest pocket, his hair gelled up.

"What are you doing here?" she growled at him, not even bothering to give him a warm greeting.

"I came by to see you," he replied. "May I come in?"

Enobaria sighed and opened the door wider for him to come in. Enobaria can't remember the last time she wasn't alone in this empty house. She sat herself down on her couch and Peeta followed her. "Are you going to tell me why you _really_ came to Two?"

"I came to give you an invitation to our wedding," replied Peeta as he took out the white envelope from his pocket. He handed it to her and she quickly swiped it from his grasp. "I hope you'll come."

"Why would I not go to a wedding were all you'll do is rub it in my face?" she asked sarcastically. He put his head down and she immediately felt sorry about saying that. "I'll go, only if you want me to."

Peeta smiled. "Why do you think I gave you an invitation?"

"I don't know," she said. "So, how's life back in Twelve?"

"It's good," he said. "Everything is slowly improving. How's life back here?"

Enobaria ran her fingers through her long dark hair. "To tell you the truth, it's pretty damn lonely."

"I'm sorry," said Peeta. He stood up from his seat once he saw a picture of Brutus and Enobaria sitting in the mountains, enjoying the sunrise. "Wow, that's beautiful. Orange is my favorite color, you know?"

Enobaria nodded and chuckled. "I still can't believe the extremes that Brutus went through just to get me out of bed at five in the morning to go see the sunset that morning."

"When was that?" Peeta asked, still looking at the picture with amazement.

"I think a couple weeks before the Reaping," replied Enobaria. She stayed silent after she mentioned the reaping, the day were she and Brutus were forced to go back into the arena. The day she and Brutus could no longer be lovers. "…I miss him."

Peeta sat down and took her hand in his, surprised that she did not slap his hand away. Instead, she held onto his hand, tightly. He gently squeezed it, assuring her that everything was going to be okay. "I have a surprise for you."

Enobaria gave him a confused look. "Really? What is it?"

"I can't show you until you put on something nice," he told her.

She grunted and headed to her bedroom. Five minutes later, she came out with a black dress and some heels, her hair in a low side bun. He opened the door for her and they walked out. "I guess that explains why you came to see me in a tux."

"That's only part of it," he told her. "Follow me."

They walked for five minutes in silence. Once Peeta made a left turn, she knew exactly where they were going.

The cemetery.

She stopped in her tracks. She wasn't ready for this. No amount of training could ever prepare her for seeing Brutus. "I can't do this."

Peeta noticed she stopped walking and he walked over to her. "Yes, you can. I've seen what you can do. You're strong."

"Okay," she said. She inhaled and slowly walked up to the cemetery. She's visited the cemetery countless amounts of times, especially when she brought flowers for the tributes she couldn't save, or take home safely. But this time, it was different.

"Come on," said Peeta as he motioned for her to follow him.

_How does he know the way around here?_ Enobaria asked herself. She got her answer when she saw that Brutus's grave was decorated with dozens of flower bouquets.

Peeta did this. Peeta bothered to bring flowers for Brutus, someone he didn't even know that well at all.

"Sit," Peeta nicely ordered her after he sat down.

She sat down next to him on the cool grass. He took out a champagne bottle and two thin glasses from behind Brutus's tombstone. He poured her some champagne and handed the glass to her. She gladly accepted it and took a small sip while Peeta poured himself a glass. The rest of the evening they spent talking about things, changes, life.

Night set in and they were still on the grass, but watching the stars above their heads.

Peeta was completely mesmerized by the night sky's beauty. "It's absolutely beautiful. Before, I didn't like the night because it was dark and heavy. But here, it's a darkness that is jeweled with the stars and the moon. I've never seen so many stars in the sky before."

Enobaria smiled as she remembered something Brutus told her when they were looking up at the sky when they were younger. "Brutus used to tell me that the stars represent the fallen tributes from Two. Do you think he's up there with the rest of them?"

"Definitely," replied Peeta.

"Which one do you think he is?" she asked him.

"That one," he said, pointing at the largest and brightest star in the sky. "He'll always be with you, no matter what."

Enobaria smiled at the young man lying beside her on the grass. For once since Brutus died, she felt at peace with herself, knowing that things were as they were and that she needed to keep on living the life she was given.

**THE END**


End file.
